Macaroni and cheese with butternut squash is creamy comfort food with a twist — freshly steamed and pureed squash and a little spicy pepper jack cheese added with the cheddar. It’s delicious!
The puréed butternut squash smoothly blends into the cheese sauce and provides another option to your mac and cheese repertoire. I used my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe and modified it with the addition of the squash and the type of cheese.
This recipe makes 8 servings.
Tips
- I used half pepper jack cheese and half cheddar. Stick with all cheddar if you prefer.
- Be sure to drain the steamed squash very well. It releases some liquid as it cools down.
Ingredients
You need the following ingredients to make this macaroni and cheese with butternut squash.
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided in half (1 1/2 cups each)
- 3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided in half (1 1/2 cups each)
- 3 cups butternut squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or small shells
- 3 tablespoons butter, plus more to grease baking pan
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 cups whole milk, divided into 2 cups and 1 cup
- 2 eggs
Directions
If you are using two types of cheese, blend them into two bowls of 3 cups per bowl, with half cheddar and half pepper jack.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.
Steam the butternut squash using your preferred method. I cooked the chunks in a covered steam basket over boiling water until they were very tender when poked with a fork. Drain and cool the squash. Thoroughly mash the squash using a potato masher or purée it in a food processor. Set it aside.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until it is al dente. Drain it well and put it in the baking dish.
While the pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt the butter on low medium heat. Gradually whisk in the flour until well blended. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of milk and cook it until it is smooth. Add 3 cups of cheese and cook it, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Stir in the pumpkin purée.
Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni. Sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of cheese over the macaroni and lightly stir it into the pasta and sauce.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Whisk in the cup of milk. Gently pour the mixture over the top of the macaroni. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
Bake the macaroni and cheese for about 40 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
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